Identification-card holder



W. F. LUICK.

IDENTIFICATiON CARD HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13,1920.

1,378,179. te May 17, 1921.

h/iZZra m .Fl Luml:

UNITED, STATES AT NT OFFICE.

o WILLIAM rlrurox, or ILWAUKEE, Wisconsin.

IDENTIFICATION-CARD HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. LUICK,

a citizen of the United States, and resi-r dent of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee" and State of "Wisconsin, have invented certain rnew -and useful Improvementsin Identification-Gard Holders; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear,.and exact description thereof.

. .My. invention refers to. identification means for factory owned containers wherein the same. are shipped to customers and returned for'reshipment- The object of my invention is therefor to provide a simple, economical and effective holder. for a combined shipping and identification card,'the construction and arrangement of the holder being such that the cardsis thoroughly. protected, and .at the same time it cannot be inadvertently detached, but can be removed for renewal or for change of customer by adeliberate action, with the assistance of some convenient instrument or-tool, it being understood that the tags are frictionally held in place and protected by a skeleton frame surrounding them.

To illustrate the use of myinvention, for example, in the manufacture and distribution of ice cream, tubs are utilized in shipfactory and a customer is allotted a predetermined number. i Tags are then filled out -with the customers address and he is given an arbitrary number which is more or less conspicuously displayed upon me tag. The tags are then slipped into frames embodying one of the features of my in- -vention, which frames are permanently secured-to the tubs and form protectors for the cards or tags, which are visibly displayed. Hence with this identification card, when the receptacles are returned in large quantities from difi'erent customers, the returns from each customer can readily be checked. up by his. number and should it be found that one of the customers is delinquent in returning the tubs, he is promptly notified. Thus it will be seen that the tubs of each customer can be kept track of in the factory, so as to facilitate business, it being understood that for economic reasons the factory supply of tubs is approximately limited to the demand, and hence, if the returns are not made promptly shipments are clogged.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I V Patented May 17, 1921, Application filed. July 13, 1920. Serial No. 395,824. a

By actual usage of my invention over a period of some months, it has been'demonstrated that the identification cards :are always intact and the returned receptacles are thus readily checked up. Heretofore,

this was impossible anddue-to. this fact, the

.problem ofkeeping track of empties has been a serious one for many years. Under the old system, the customers tub was marked by ordinary shipping .tags with varlous means for attaching them, and in some instances, these tags were waterproof and otherwisemade from tough material so as to prevent loss of. them, but owing to the rough usage, the tags/were found inadequate and in a short time, a large per cent.

of the returned tubs contained no stub of .the original tags whereby-said. tubs could beQidentifiecl, and the factory. under these conditlons would be'unable to give the shipper credit. Furthermore, it frequently hapmanufacturer is concerned. Vvlth the above ob ects 1n :view, my inbeenrcharged up as de vention consists in what isiherein, shown,

described. and called for in the'claim.

In the drawing,-'

Figure 1 represents'a fragment of a tu or receptacle having attached thereto a skeleton frame containing an identification "3'? and shipping tag, embodying the features of my invention. Y Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the same, thesection being indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3is a rear face view; ofthe skeleton frame, the same being shown detached from a receptacle, and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the frame and its integral bail ear connection, the section being indicated by line 4l4 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawing, 1

represents a fragment of tub provided with the usual upper band 2. A bail ear is the usual type.

' have extending therefrom stop lugs 6 against which the shank of the bail engages when the same is swung outwardly to sustain the load of the tub. Extending above the stop lugs and sleeve and merging into them is a skeleton frame 7, in this instance the same being of rectangular formation so as to display a shipping and identification card A. The corners of the skeleton frame are formed with apertured ears for the recep tion of retaining screws 8, which serve in conjunction with the web screws to firmly attach the bail ear to the tub. Thus by this distribution of the screws inupper and lower groups withrelation to thepoints of strain upon the ear,'the same is rendered less liable to breakage, due to the balanced connections As best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the lower stretch 9 of the frame is formed with a slight depression. 1O,v which depression is merged into corresponding depressions 10 of the vertical stretches 11 of the frame and these depressions are also extended transversely of the upper frame stretch 12 7 so as to form an open throat through which the cardsmay pass into the frame, and be removed therefrom..

The vertical stretches 11 of the skeleton frame are also formed with slight trans- V 'verse depressions 13, as best shown in Fig.

3 to permit clearance for the band 2 of the tub, it being understood that these depressions as shown are of slightly less depth than the depressions 10 and 10, which form the tag pocket. Thus it will be seen by referring especially to Fig. 4 of the drawing that when the bail ear isin position and the card A inserted within the, pocket, the said card is frictionally held in place by contact with the inner face of the skeleton frame on one side and contact with the band 2 upon itsrear face.- Owing to the fact that the band 2 is of a material thickness, its outer face will serve to give the card a slight central bulge with relation to its grip in the upper and lower edges, to more effectively prevent the card from slipping out of the pocket 1n usage.

F rom'the foregoing description, it will be seen that the card is thus firmly held in place and is also protected at all of its edges so as to prevent damage, this protection be ing due to the comparatively great thickness in cross section of the skeleton frame stretches, and also to the fact that the sleeve 4 is offset to form, in'conjunction with its other functions, a protecting element.

Referring now to the method of'applying my invention, a group of the cards are di rected to, for example, a shipper John Doe,

and these cards contain the date of ship'- ment, etc. and also an arbitrary number given to the shipper which, in this instance is 10. Hence, even though the shipping directions all become blurred or wiped out,

nection with a tub for ice cream, it is.under stood that I do not wish to limit my'invention to any specific container, as for exam ple, the invention can be applied to various other products, wherein the containers are 7 to be returned to the factory or plant, such for example as milk, the like.

I claim:

In combination with a cylindrical container having hoops thereon, a shipping card holder for attachment to said container comprising askeleton frame, .said frame being transversely curved and attached to said rece tacle to extend over a hoop on the cylin rical wall thereof, the

creamery products or under side of saidframe being offset to i provide a shallow card pocket having-a throat extending therefrom, said oflset portion following the curved contour of the frame whereby the card inserted therein is transversely bowed and held by the hoop to cause the same to be frictionally held against accidental displacement or removal.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee,

in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

7 WILLIAM LUICK. 

